Clock-striking mechanism



(No Model.)

P. WITHERSPOON.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

EEEEE.

Attorneys 1.7V VEJV TOR Q EQ WI TJV' ES/SES UNITED STATES PATENT FRANK \VITHERSPOON, OF PARIS, TEXAS.

CLOCK-STRIKING MECHANISM.

QPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,82 dated Septem er 22, 1885.

(N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WITHERsPooN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paris, in the county of Lamar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock-Chimes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked there on, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a front view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a similar view. Fig. 4 is a front View, showing a modification. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are modifications.

This invention relates to clock chimes; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A A A A designate four bells placed one within another, or they may be placed at convenient places within the clock.

.These bells are tuned to certain notes corresponding to given notes in the musical scale as, for instance, the first, third, fifth, and eighth of any key for one chime, or two notes or combination of notes above, below, or in the octave, and in any key, as G major, 0 minor, A major or A minor, or any other required combinations of two or more notes corresponding to given notes 011 the piano-forte that will produce melody or harmony in the tones.

B designates the striking side of an ordinary weight or spring clock. The wheel 0 is provided with pins to engage the lever-arm d, as in the ordinary striking clock. dis a lever, which, being raised by the detent-pins, raises the hammers e at A and releases them to strike the bells. The hammers may be fastened to a single arbor, or to a single piece, 0, and branch out from each other; or each hammer may have its individual arbor. In some instances it may be desirable to strike all of the bells at the same time. Then it will only be necessary to have a single arm, a, connected with the rock-shaft O, and provided with as many branches or auxiliary arms 0 having hammers d as there are bells to be struck. In either construction the hammers are operated by a wheel, 0, of the clock mechanism, having pins H, which engage the lever d of the rock-shaft Z). Vhere the number of hammers and bells are increased, and it is desired to strike the bells alternately, the number of shafts must be equal to the number of hammers. For example, suppose the chimes are to strike 8 oclock. Then the hammers d, Fig. 4, will strike as follows: first stroke, No. 1 strikes; second stroke, Nos. 1 and 2 strike; third stroke, Nos. 1, 2, and 3 strike; fourth stroke, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4t strike; fifth stroke, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 strike; sixth stroke, No. 1 strikes; seventh stroke, Nos. 1 and 2 strike; eighth stroke, Nos. 1, 2, and 3 strike. The wheel 0 is made with the detent-pins H, for engaging the hammers all on one side of the wheel, and the pins H are all of the same length, but at different distances from the axis of the wheel; or I may make the wheel 0 with the detent-pins on both sides of the wheel of the same length, and at equal distances from the axis of the wheel, or of different lengths at equal distances from the axis of the wheel, Fig. 5, or same length at unequal distances from the axis of the wheel, or of different lengths at different distances from the axis of the wheel.

I may employ one wheel, or two or more wheels, on the same or on diiierent pinions or shafts, as shown in Fig. 3, with detentpins arranged in them, as before described.

In Fig. 8 the mechanism is illustrated that is used to ring the bells in various combinationsas, for instance, first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, &c., first stroke; second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tent-h, &c., second stroke; first, fifth, ninth, thirteenth, &c., third stroke; eighth, fifth, fourth, third, &c., fourth stroke; tenth, eighth, seventh, fourth, first, &c., fifth stroke, &c.; or arranged to strike chords and parts of chords corresponding to the chords in any given key on the piano-forte; or, first stroke, first, fourth, sixth, and eighth of any octave; second stroke, first, third, fifth, and eighth of any or same octave; third stroke fills out or continues the chords or repeats any part of above.

The wheel 0 may be provided with any number of projections like teeth, either on the face or side of the wheel, to engage the hammer-wires. The wheel 0 may be made in the shape of a long cylinder, and provided with pins on its surface for engaging the hammer- Wires, and arranged to play any chord or part of chord, or any tune or part of tune, or any notes that may be selected tuned to corre spond with any note or notes on the pianoforte. The projections on the wheel 0 and the hammer-wires may be made straight, or one straight and one bent, or both bent so as to engage each other, or the hammer-wires may be made to interlock or engage each other, so that one may be raised without raising the other, or all may be raised by only raising one.

FRANK XVITHERSPOON.

Vitnesses:

W. L. HUTOHISON, B. J. BALDWIN, Jr. 

